WATCH | Mind Over Matter: Gold Medalist Gabby Thomas Talks Her Formula For Winning - video Dailymotion

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Olympic gold medalist, Gabby Thomas, shares how her strategies and motivations for success on and off the track.  She also discusses the importance of rest when training and competing.

Transcript

00:00Okay before I begin I was I was knee-deep in your bio and I'm thinking

00:04in my mind how in the world does she have time to do any level of sports? What

00:09book are you reading right now or is there something in the science world

00:11that you're very fascinated by in this moment?

00:14Oh in this moment? Gosh I mean I am rereading Atomic Habits right now if

00:19anyone has read that it is incredible book and it talks about like the

00:22psychology of forming habits and how you can improve your life by doing that it's

00:26incredible. How has your prep been for Paris like managing obviously everything

00:31that you do outside of the of your sport but also now really having it to immerse

00:34yourself in your training? Yeah I mean it's kind of the same like it's always

00:37been kind of head down in the trenches just focusing on what you need to focus

00:41on to get there there's so many distractions going on all the time and

00:45it's really easy to get distracted by everything but I'm just staying in it

00:49and loving what I do really taking in the process in the journey and

00:52everything will work out. Absolutely I think you're just such an example for

00:56young black girls who desire to one day maybe stand next to me and be an

01:00Olympian for you how does how do you wear that responsibility on your

01:04shoulders and how excited are you to be that example? I mean I think about it all

01:08the time every time I go in the public eye every time I step on the track I'm

01:12thinking about how I am representing myself and how I'm making an impact on

01:15the younger generations who are watching me and I want them to see that you can

01:19do everything that you want to do you can just if you can see it I mean you

01:23can do it and I don't think anything should stop them if you want to go to

01:28Harvard get your education and you also want to be an Olympian you can do that

01:31if you want to do anything. One moment now continue. You can do it all and just don't let

01:37anyone's limitations of themselves limit you especially the young black girls. So

01:42I asked you about books earlier and not to say this is a ritual of yours at all

01:45but do you have a ritual of something that you do before a competition?

01:48Absolutely I meditate a lot I wake up and I do two minutes in the morning and

01:52then I incorporate it into my warm-up too so it just keeps me focused keeps me

01:56Zen and it actually makes chemical changes in your brain and your neural

01:59pathways that help you with everything. Last question for you is there a

02:03particular skill set that you have that you're working on strengthening? Yeah I

02:08think taking more time for rest. Everybody continues to say that which

02:12makes me a little concerned but I get it. It's a common theme but first

02:17specifically in track and field I think my start I'm trying to get a much

02:19faster more explosive start. If anyone watches my races you see it takes me a

02:23minute to get up to speed and then I catch people but I want to get them just

02:27kind of out the gate and I think you know I could run really fast that way.

02:30Well I'm excited to see you thank you so much and all the best. Thank you.

WATCH | Mind Over Matter: Gold Medalist Gabby Thomas Talks Her Formula For Winning

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